Safety call on A19 collision inquiry pushes for action

Fiona Thompson

Drivers say action must be taken on the “death trap” A19 as our campaign to call on the Government to review its safety grows.

Safe A19 is lobbying transport chiefs to carry out an inquiry into the accidents on the route, with backing already given by police officers, MPs and safety campaigners.

More than 880 people have signed a petition, which asks the Department for Transport to look at why so many collisions happen between Wolviston and Testo’s at Boldon.

Unofficial figures show last year that 71 people were injured in 36 crashes involving 88 vehicles on the 35-mile stretch last year.

The Government statistics for 2016 are still to be released.

Among those to back our shout is Jeff Appleyard, who has signed our Change.org document.

It is a speeding death trap with approximately 70% of car and HGV drivers hell bent on passing each other.

Jeff Appleyard

He said: “I have used the A19 for a lot of years, when it was a busy HGV route for trucks going north and south from the Middlesborough area. “It was a lovely, peaceful road with drivers who respected each others size vehicles,

“I only use it about three or four times a year now to visit family in Yorkshire and it is a speeding death trap with approximately 70% of car and HGV drivers hell bent on passing each other and because most HGVs are limited to approximately 50 to 52mph with speed governors now, they try to pass each other on dual carriageways and can take anything up to three to four miles to pass, so there’s a build of cars and LGV etc.”

He suggests the road is made into three lanes and added: “Spend some of it up North NOW.”